I looked around at the fire. "Okay. Okay. It's just like taking a deep breath." 'Suck it in.'
I held my arms out, and as I spun, the flames moved to me and into my arms.
"Kid. Mother. This way."
I walked out of the room and started down the stairs as they crumbled.
I rubbed my chin. "Okay. Not that way."
I looked at the far wall. "That works." I looked at the kid. "You're going to love this."
I stuck a finger out and the condensed flames.
I cut open the wall, then jumped down, surrounded by a flame tornado.
The crowd below awed.
I waved and smiled. "I know you would all like to thank me personally, but unfortunately, I don't have time for that.
But I'd like to let you all know I don't do this for fame. It's for the people."
*Beep. Beep.*
I looked at the Rust Bucket.
Gwen waved out the window. "Yo. Dummy. The fire was just a Diversion. The bad guys are getting away."
I snapped and pointed at her. "You're right."
I grabbed the Omitrix and turned it just enough.
I flashed and turned into XLR8.
'Oh. I'm good.'
"Hey, you got it right this time."
I stuck out my tongue.
'She doesn't know that.'
"Meet you after I get them."
I ran to the tools in the Rust Bucket, then up went the driver's side window.
I held up a log wrench. "I'm boring this."
I sped off, caught up to the getaway car, and took off all its tires.
I took off the passenger side first to force it that way.
They smashed into a wall. Then I pulled them all out and wrapped them in a rope I found.
"You guys seem to be tied up right now… I really need to work on my catch phrases."
"No fight from me."
I turned as I transformed back.
I mocked as I walked to the door. "No fight from me."
Grandpa looked back at me. "Are we ready?"
I heard the sirens.
"Yep." I slouched down in the table chair. "Awe. Doing the police work is hard."
"Stop complaining. You wanted to do this."
I sat up a little to look at Gwen. "I still can say what I did. Because I am doing their work."
"Ben."
"Fine. I'll stop."
I held my arm up and looked at the watch. 'I need to finish my work on the watch.'
.
On our way to DC, I decided to do a little.. tinkering.
"Hey, I'm going to rest. Heroing makes me tired."
Gwen frowned. "Rub it in, will you?"
"If I am. It's only a bounce."
I went to the back and closed the curtain.
'Okay. Let's hope this works.'
(Echo-Echo.) Three Echo-Echos stood in the room. We all smiled and then turned back to me.
'Hey. It worked.' I stared at two other me's.
The two clones turned into Grey Matter as I put my wrist on the bed.
The two Grey matters started tinkering with it.
About 2 hours later, the watch started to glow green.
Grey Matter 1: "Where are we trying to do that?"
Grey Matter 2: "Let's hope we didn't break it on the second day."
"You better not of."
Grey Matter 2: "Only way to find out."
The watch had its core reinserted and began glowing. It stopped as it changed its form.
(pic.)
The Grey Matter's turned back into me, then Echo-Echo.
I turned into Echo-Echo, and we all merged back into one, then I turned back into me.
I pushed the button, and a holographic flat image appeared above it.
I scrolled through, smiling at the new change and ability.
I can now, in theory, perform a particle transformation.
It'll save energy that way
.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing, getting as much as I can.
Do you really want to eat what grandpa grabs?"
Gwen's eyes went wide. "You're right. I'll get a cart."
I threw some snacks into my cart when the store shook.
I walked to the end of the aisle and looked around, confused.
'Weird.'
I turned around to walk back into the Isle when tv's went flying with the wall.
I covered my face with my arm until the dust settled.
I put ny arm down to see… 'A giant Frog… oh, Giant frog.'
I looked at the doctor and saw the mark shift animal control and modifier.
'If u remember correctly, if I take that off him. Boom. I win.'
(A.N. In his last life, he wasn't a huge Ben 10 fan. He just watched it when it came out when he was a kid.
It's been years since he watched the original.)
I pushed my back against an aisle and looked through the library of Aliens.
'Okay. I can go Ghost Freak and hide and grab it, or I can go XLR8 and speed to him…. Think. Think. Think… let's risk it and go Ghost.'
I dialed him in, and I went to Ghost Freak.
I looked at myself and was in full control. 'Good.'
I went invisible and intangible as I flew through all the aisles straight towards the Doc.
I flew through him and grabbed the gear as I went through.
I became tangible as I looked at the gear. "Cool. I've definitely not seen anything like this before."
The frog turned back, and he fell on his butt.
"Give me that back now! It's mine."
"Mine, now. Thanks."
I set the gear down before I flew into the Doc.
'Get out of my head.'
I looked down at the Doc's hand through his eyes.
'No. I don't think I will. not yet.'
Gwen ran at me and punched me in the face.
"Gwen." Then again. "Gwen!"
She looked confused. "Ben?"
"Yep. Grab a rope. I'm in control of him for now. But I don't know how long."
I sat down on the ground and put my hands behind my back as Gwen wrapped me up.
I jumped out of his body and floated behind Gwen.
I watched Animo struggle against the restraints.
"Let me go! How dare you stop me from what's truly mine? I will get what mine! You can't stop me."
"Looks like we did."
I nooded. "Wasnt even that hard."
I heard a beep, and I saw ten flashes from the Omnitrix. "See you later!"
I rushed to the Doc's gear to grab it before flying through the wall and towards the Rust Bucket.
I timed out in the parking lot and rolled.
I layed flat on the ground for a moment before I sat up and checked the gear I tucked into my stomach.
'Maybe a few things got messed up. But it's still good enough for me to research it.'
.
I'm sitting on my bed, looking at the gear, when Gwen and Grandpa walk in.
Grandpa walked over to me. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to see if I can figure out what makes this tick.
You know. Just in case someone like him ever shows up again."
He shrugged. "Just be careful."
Gwen sat down on my bed. "Do you even know what's going on with all of that?"
"Yes, I do… for the most part. I plan on using Grey Matter when I can. It'll help."
"That's just cheating."
"It's not cheating if I could figure it out without using Grey Matter. It's just quicker using Grey Matter."
"Cheater."
"Dweab."
"That's my line."
"Mine now."
"Kids."
Both: "Sorry, Grandpa."
.
After a boring trip to the lake where we went fishing, I took care of some poachers at night when they were sleeping, and we continued on our trip.